Creating good work ​in a VOLATILE, Uncertain, Complex and AMBIGUOUS world

“Pierre is most probably one of the best speakers I have encountered, anywhere in the world. I have been lucky enough to see the likes of Nir Eyal, Eric Qualman, the great Tony Dungy, even Bill Clinton, but do I do anything different after listening to them? Nope. I do after Pierre’s talks.”

- Dewald Du Plooy, Marketing Director, KFC AFRICA

Keynote

CHAOS IS A GIFT

It’s no secret that chaos is near certainty in just about every aspect of our lives and even more so in business. Everything from changing weather patterns to Artificial Intelligence is disrupting our day to day.​Mere living, and not to mention doing business, now takes a level of awareness and ability to handle ambiguity and complexity that has never been required before.

Keynote

Heroes, Monsters, & KINGS

Have you ever had caught yourself thinking, ‘someone better take the lead here right now or this is going down fast’? Well, the bad news is that if you thought just that, you are very much the one that should be taking the lead.

Leadership is a key quality and necessary skill that we all use, from working, playing, or raising children. It is an innate raw talent that can be amplified and sharpened into a profound strength when we add knowledge and experience.

Keynote

Walking, HandWRitten Notes, & Artisans

Seems like everywhere you go everything is going digital, as if going digital is the salvation of every business everywhere. Since when does innovate mean digital only, and since when did disruption only mean ‘let’s make an app’.

A friend of mine, Len Sweet, always says the more high-tech the world becomes the more high-touch we need to be.

Showreel

I am jaded, I have been in the industry a very long time (20 years feels like a lifetime), I have seen a lot, heard a lot, had my intelligence challenged and my mind bent, and often been bored. There are not many speakers out there that make me stop (mid running around on an event) and listen. Pierre is one of those

Pierre du Plessis has a “je_ne_sais_quoi” he is genuine, he is kind in nature and he is deep. What he talks about hits home and makes the neurons fire. He inspires me and makes me think.

He is the 1st person I recommend when a client requests a speaker. A consummate professional, always on time and always interesting. I mean, really who doesn’t want to be a “flaneur”?

​Kelly McGillivray - The Squad Events

About Me

I am flâneur, I saunter about cities observing trends, the flow of culture, and the pace of the world. I curate the information, I collect to sift the meaningful from the meaningless.

I am interested in what it means to be human, how we grow as people and how we can produce good work.

​I have worked in advertising, design, and trends since 1999. I am currently CEO and part owner of HumanWrit.es, changing the world one wee square notebook at a time. I also lead a contemplative community in the city of Cape Town.

I write for various blogs and newsletters and I speak on chaos and creating good work in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous worlds

The Challenge

We live is a VUCA world, and what we need are heroes brave enough to create awesome work that stands out and shifts the way we live, think, and create.

My talks and writing centre around how to build businesses, create great work, and live in a chaotic world.

I know chaos is the midwife of innovation, that chaos is a gift. That we should not fear the uncertain, the shadow, but embrace it and use it and never let it go to waste.

It is these very liminal spaces, crazy times, chaotic times, that ironically gives us the chance to do things that weren't possible before.

My online life:

One On One Sessions

​I’m not going to promise you your best life now, in three easy coaching sessions, with an easy to complete self-development plan, or even answers. Those are almost always bs and irritate the hell out of me. Life is hard, and complex, and frustrating, and beautiful, and awesome, and intense, and you have one go, ONE GO, at it. So, let’s make it count.

"Pierre, like all good trend spotters, looks at the world with infinite curiosity and an open mind. As such, he has a knack of pin pointing a trend on the rise, but most importantly its roots and trajectory. Without these two elements you don't have context, and Pierre has the ability to provide that all important context."

Dion Chang, founder Flux Trends

TEDx Soweto

“I believe that the most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity is daring to dare.”